


Archive

by Kaios



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: AKASHI WILL GET HURT AND I WILL LOVE IT, Akakuro - Freeform, Akashi being a little shit like he should be, Arguments, Comebacks, Fights, Fluff, I hope you guys'll love this, I will put angst in here don't underestimate me, IF PEOPLE GO OOC I APOLOGISE, KIND of canon, KUROKO WILL ALSO GET HURT AND I'LL LOVE THAT TOO, M/M, MidoTaka is real, also featuring mischevious little shit Akashi, artsy!Kuroko, basically these kids causing hell all over the academy rip, because he is a cinammon roll no matter how much he burns you, friendship is strong, future making out probably, goodateverythinggoddammit!Akashi, he'll probably still have a heartwrenching backstory though, love-hate relationships, middle+high school AU, not very OOC, oooo you goin down son, people getting roasted, sassy!Kuroko is best Kuroko, self-created schooling system, sick burns, the GoM will come to love Kuroko, tsundere!Midorima as usual, very hot cinammon roll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-05-07 21:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5471672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaios/pseuds/Kaios
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Generation of Miracles -- ah, yes, that famous group of second-years in the ultimate, elite academy that is Teikou?<br/>Right -- they're the most formidable team, are they not?<br/>Wrong. Oh, if you believe that, you've never been more wrong in your life.<br/>Team?<br/>What a joke.<br/>This story is the very epitome of unfriendliness, love-hate relationships and all the sass in the world that would be Kuroko Tetsuya if he hadn't have had to deal with all the Kiseki's shit in middle school.</p><p>Enjoy.</p><p>****Semi-hiatus****</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [happy birthday Akashi Seijuurou 2015](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=happy+birthday+Akashi+Seijuurou+2015).



> HOPE YOU ENJOY THE SASS

**WARNINGS: NONE**

**NOTES: _HAPPY BIRTHDAYYY AKASHIIIIIIIIIII!!!!_**

 

**Chapter One**

 

 

~~

 

 

「帝光学園」

Teikou Academy.

The most famous school in Japan, residing in Tokyo. Their academic prowess was legendary: it was no secret that they were one of the tops, if not the top, in the world. Every year had at least six thousand applications of entry -- some coming from other countries over the world.

That might've seemed like an absurd number, but taking into account that it utilised one of the strangest schooling systems in Japan, it wasn't too far of a stretch. After all, whilst Japanese schools were commonly split into 6-3-3 years: primary school,  junior/middle high and senior high school, respectively, this academy consisted of the latter six years as a whole.

The student body was standing at a proud 1846 students, with approximately three hundred per year.

However, the famed students nobody could ever seem to stop talking about?

Surprisingly, they were not legendary alumni, nor were they top-notch seniors.

No--

\--they were second-year students.

A group of six: although one of them had a special knack for disappearing and reappearing whenever he wanted to.

They were nicknamed the _"Generation of Miracles",_ for their undeniable talent in what they did.

Kuroko Tetsuya; the youngest of them all. As slippery as water, he vanished the second you took your eyes off him. His specialties? History, Geography... And _Art_.

His art was _amazing._

Unlike himself, his art captured the attention of any and every single passerby -- once they caught a glimpse of it, they just couldn't look away.

The sky blue-haired phantom was an enigma.

Then, there was the eldest of the six, who couldn't seem to keep his hands off of that very enigma:

Kise Ryouta.

Golden hair with eyes just as bright, the model easily surpassed people in subjects he honestly didn't care about -- Kise's mimicking abilities were frustratingly skillful to their very core. His favourite subjects were Physical Education, followed by English -- the former being a result of one very influential figure in his life.

Aomine Daiki, the third eldest.

(People also wondered if he was a foreigner, with his tanned skin, never mind his dark cobalt blue hair and eyes.)

Fond of the elusive _"Tetsu"_ to a fault, his best subjects were Physical Education and Japanese History -- albeit he lost marks in the latter due to writing almost everything in katakana.

(He was working on that desperately.)

Then, there was their second youngest--

\--Akashi Seijuurou.

Red, red, red like fire -- he was the emperor, the ultimate reigning champion in every subject he did. Music, Japanese History, mathematics, English, all the sciences, crafts, home economics...

He got perfect hundreds in _everything_ , leaving the rest to wallow in their self-pity.

The only ones who could match up to him in certain subjects were the Generation of Miracles themselves -- however, none could beat him in everything.

Being the heir to one of the most prominent business conglomerates in all of Japan, he had a right to be as confident as he was. He was inclined to victory, upheld the strong belief that _winning was everything, victors wrote history, the losers were wiped from it_. He had uncanny predicting skills and a borderline terrifying, sinister ability to weave people into his webs.

He was the holder of _absolute_ control and subservience.

And one of those who were most subservient?

Murasakibara Atsushi, the third youngest.

(Also nicknamed the baby of their group, despite being a literal giant. That may or may not have had something to do with how he was the youngest of five children at home, however.)

Standing at a proud 194 centimetres and still growing, the purple student couldn't keep his hands off snacks, akin to how Kise couldn't keep his hands off Kuroko. He, however, didn't get along well with Kuroko when it came to work.

Yes -- one of his best subjects was Art. Despite his strong dislike for handling small things (how did people sew, anyway? Was there some kind of trick behind it? _How did they not stab themselves?_ ), he was surprisingly adept at oil painting. He brought life to his artworks through bright, brash colours and strange mixtures of warm and cool palettes, forming beautifully eye-catching works. People called them abstract, but he truly couldn't care less what they labelled his art. His art was his art, not made particularly for any specified genre nor style. The same went for his neverending number of sculptures -- all of which were different food items.

It was almost frightening, really.

He also had a bizarre talent in Physics -- his expertise in Home Economics, however, wasn't as surprising (and he was amazing at it).

Similarly, the final member didn't get along with Kuroko, either.

Midorima Shintarou -- the second eldest member of the Miracles.

He was an odd student, always lugging around his Oha-Asa-foretold lucky item of the day, no matter the size. His hair and eyes were also an odd shade of green.

Unlike Murasakibara, he was _terrible_ at Home Economics. He _abhorred_ the subject.

(Why did everything go wrong? Why would his pan set on fire? _What was happening????_ )

His talents lay within Chemistry and Biology -- however, if Health were a subject, he'd undeniably be the best. He also had an unnatural gift for headshotting people with flying projectiles.

Now, one would look at the six and think, _'wow. They're so amazing as a team, making up for everything one another lacks.'_

That was _not_ the case.

 _No,_ a million, billion times over.

They were _not_ a team in the slightest.

The Generation of Miracles was not a team -- they were two groups of three, that were constantly at war.

Kuroko Tetsuya, with Aomine Daiki and Kise Ryouta by his side.

Akashi Seijuurou, with Midorima Shintarou and Murasakibara Atsushi by his side.

They _despised_ each other to their very cores.

And that was how their long five years began -- the first year with them being blissfully unaware of each others' existences.

* * *

Their first year was great. Each one of them built up their reputation at a shocking rate -- all except one. He painted both during and after hours. News of his art spread one morning, near the end of the year, after he'd finished a piece overnight and left it to dry.

"Hmm~? What's all the fuss about?"

Several people jumped, and whipping around, eyes widened. The crowd instantly parted for the violet-haired titan.

"What, what?" He peered over, catching sight of a painting.

It took his breath away.

It was a beautiful, _stunning_ watercolour landscape. Various shades of reds and pinks spotted the paper with dashes of green and thin lines of black, forming mesmerising cherry blossoms that splayed across the entire page, seemingly glowing. Petals whirled across the foreground, giving way to a beautiful lake reflecting mountains of fire, surrounded by grass made of a myriad of light and dark greens and blacks, some shining from the blaze. The juxtaposition between the cool blues and vivid reds, oranges and yellows was positively hypnotising. The clouds were on fire, and there were a small cluster of stars flitted across the fringe of black, black sky.

_Beautiful. Enthralling. Fascinating. Gorgeous._

There weren't enough words to describe the painting. Murasakibara was captivated, and he couldn't deny the pull he felt. He instantly focused on the bottom left, where there was a small signature printed in silver-white.

_黒子テツヤ_

...Too faint. Also, too calligraphy-like. He couldn't decipher it at all.

Murasakibara heaved a sigh, grumbling before he literally tore his eyes away from the painting.

(It was extremely, extremely difficult.)

Students instantly huddled back around the work as he trudged out, miffed and pouty. He looked back at his hands, where he was clutching a box of Maiubo. He froze for a moment.

_'Did I forget that I had Maiubo...?'_

He stared at the box before clutching it even tighter.

_'I'm sorry, I'll never forget about you again!'_

As he walked away, slightly happier with a snack in his mouth, he turned back to the art room that was nearly out of sight.

_'Who painted that?'_

* * *

"Aka-chin~"

"What is it, Atsushi?"

"There's this--"

"Akashi!"

"Ah, Shintarou."

Murasakibara turned, glaring at the said student who had just burst through the door, looking uncharacteristically flustered.

"You told Takao where I was this--"

He was instantly cut off by an overly excited _"SHIIIIIIIIIN-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"_ from down the corridor. He froze almost immediately, and the look of horror on his face was flawlessly comical. Mischief danced through Akashi's eyes for the briefest moment, but he wiped the look off his face as soon as it came.

"Akashi, you--!"

"Aaaaaaaahhh, found you, Shin-chan!" A student suddenly appeared behind the tall, faithful follower of Oha-Asa with a wild grin. He pounced onto him playfully, shocking Midorima.

"Taka-- get off!"

Takao Kazunari -- a boy who'd, by some turn of strange events, become enthralled with Midorima after being utterly defeated by him during several school events and competitions in primary school. He, too, loved Biology -- though, Chemistry? Not so much. He did both regardless, and somehow he'd ended up with the exact same timetable as the green-haired male.

Teikou Academy was extremely particular in its schooling practices. Unlike the standard class-to-class strict subject timetable, every subject was an elective other than English, Japanese History and Mathematics. Students were free to choose as they wanted, although they had to go through every subject within the first year. Towards the end of the year, students would get a form to choose their electives: of course, the choice was not permanent. They could change any time before halfway through their first term of their second year. Their timetables were decided in a shockingly fast amount of time considering the sheer number of people there -- the school hired specialists _specifically just_ to come in and work out such.

(It was a bit much, in some peoples' opinions. But, they _were_ the elite after all -- why shouldn't they get the best?)

With that, Takao had taken a look and jumped on Midorima the second he'd received his timetable, only to yell out a _"we have the exact same classes, oh my god, hahaha! Shin-chan, this is great!"_ much to the latter's dismay.

"Mido-chin, you're so noisy. I'm trying to talk to Aka-chin."

"Tell that to this idiot!"

"So rude, Shin-chan! Gahahaha!"

Akashi turned his attention back to Murasakibara, unperturbed. "Did you want something?"

"There's this painting in the art room... But I can't read the signature."

"Oh? A painting caught your attention? How unusual." Akashi raised a perfect brow.

"Well..." Murasakibara struggled for words, frowning.

His facial expression was the exact one of a sulking baby, the members in the room thought. Takao laughed harder, prompting a heavy sigh from the boy he was latched onto.

"What type of painting was it?"

"A watercolour. It was--"

"Oi, oi, are you talking about Tetsu's artwork?"

All heads in the room instantly turned. Midorima suppressed a groan, whilst Murasakibara did so openly.

"Geh, it's Aomine..." He grumbled. Aomine's brows furrowed, "Well, it's not like I wanted to see you here either, asshole!"

"What did you say?"

"Daiki. Perhaps you could explain--"

"Nope, nope. I'm getting outta' here," Aomine interrupted audaciously, clearly not worried for his life.

If he could run out of there quickly, he was safe. That was the motto he'd decided on when confronting Akashi-scary-as-fuck-Seijuurou.

"By the way," He quickly poked his head back in, "don't bother looking for him. You'll never find him."

He paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not to mention that he couldn't, either, until the volatile boy had spoken up to him, himself.

Nah.

They were assholes, for the most part.

He left like a hurricane, leaving Takao whistling, impressed.

"Wow. He's got guts."

(None of them dared to look back at Akashi.)

* * *

"Ooooooi, Tetsu! Where are you?"

"Aomine-kun, did you call?"

"Geh--!"

Aomine whipped around, eyes widened comically. Before him sat a much shorter male, sketchbook on his lap as he leaned against a tree.

"You gotta stop doing that." Aomine sighed, flopping down next to him.

"Doing what?" Kuroko repeated, frowning slightly. Inwardly, he chuckled a little.

...Not that he'd ever admit it.

"Appearing and disa-- whatever, it doesn't matter. Be careful, Akashi and his henchmen are on the lookout for you after seeing that painting you finished last night."

"Aka--"

"Akashi and his henchmen? What? What is this?"

Two similar shades of dark azure eyes turned to look at the source of the bright voice. They both sighed simultaneously at the sight of dazzling golden hair and eyes.

"Ehhhhh?! So mean!!!! What were those sighs for?!"

"It's _you_ , Kise..."

"Kise-kun again..."

The two shared a grin for a split-second, though Kuroko's was more of a faint tug of his lips, unbeknownst to the model.

"Aominecchi, Kurokocchi, you two are so mean!" He whined, teary. Kuroko's eyes softened as he gazed up at his friend, "Just kidding, Kise-kun."

"Kurokocchiiiii!"

Kise leaped onto the smaller male, almost suffocating him in his embrace. Kuroko looked at Aomine with wide, panicked eyes.

"Oi, Kise, get off. You're suffocating him."

"Oh! Sorry, Kurokocchi! Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Regardless, what was that about... Aka... shi-kun, was it?"

"The kid from our year."

"Oh, Akashi! His father's worked with our company before," Kise piped up, "I respect him."

"You respect him? Where's the -cchi?" Aomine raised a brow, only to have a disgusted look shot at him.

"Aominecchi, you can't be seriously asking that."

"Nah, it was a joke. He's a cocky little shit, I get you. Same with his little followers, the Oha-Asa idiot and the tree."

"..." Kuroko silently figured he meant Midorima and Murasakibara.

"Midorima and Murasakibara, huh? I don't get along with them either," Kise sighed. Kuroko looked at him with mild surprise.

Oh, he understood, too.

Well, he supposed it wasn't much of a shock. Kise had always been smarter than he'd let on, after all.

"So? Why're they looking for Kurokocchi?"

"His painting caught Murasakibara's attention, or something." Aomine waved his hand dismissively. Kise perked up instantly, turning to Kuroko.

Kuroko wondered if that was what dog-owners felt like.

"That's amazing, Kurokocchi!!!! You caught Murasakibara's attention! He literally _never_ cares about anything!"

Kuroko blinked, "Is that so."

Kise deflated like a balloon, "You could show a little more excitement..."

"I don't necessarily paint to be acknowledged," Kuroko said quietly.

Kise's eyes softened.

_'That's why you're so amazing, Kurokocchi. You never whinge for attention, but you never reject it, either.'_

"Well, it'd be bad if they caught onto Kurokocchi, after all! I wouldn't want to give my precious phantom away!" He grinned brightly, reaching over to ruffle Kuroko's hair.

"It'd be bad if who caught onto who?"

He froze. Aomine froze before slumping, letting out a groan, "You've gotta be kidding me..."

Akashi towered over the three, red orbs glittering. His left eye shone with a strange, faint, amber glow. Behind him stood his very two _"followers"_ , each laughably taller. Before the two self-proclaimed guardians of Kuroko could do anything, however, he stood up...

"Hello."

...Shocking the other trio. Akashi inhaled, slightly peeved. Murasakibara was staring at him, wide-eyed and bewildered. Midorima hastily adjusted his glasses, astounded.

"I am Kuroko Tetsuya. Who might you be?"

Still sitting, the other two snickered. Kuroko clearly knew who he was.

"Akashi Seijuurou," The redhead declared after a pause, "are you the one who painted the watercolour artwork left overnight?"

"Many artists painted watercolours to dry overnight, Akashi-kun. You'll have to be more specific."

Midorima and Murasakibara swallowed dryly.

Oh god.

"I apologise," Akashi said, _very obviously_ unapologetic, "but it seems you weren't sharp enough to hear the fuss this morning regarding the painting. It was quite noisy and disruptive."

"Oh? I'm sure you didn't hear it yourself, either, Akashi- _san_. From what _I've heard_ , you obtained the information from..."

Kuroko glanced at Murasakibara, who let out a "Wow~ He's so small."

"...Murasakibara- _san_."

Definitely not a good first impression.

Aomine stifled a chuckle. Kuroko was definitely the opposite of impressed.

"Ah, but _Tetsuya_ , don't you think an artist should know what is being said about their own work? Have you no sense of responsibility?" Akashi chided almost menacingly. Kuroko's expression stayed frighteningly void.

"Why should outsiders' comments affect me? They will not change the way I draw."

For the briefest of moments, the absolute emperor looked impressed.

"I do not suck up for others' recognition nor approval, Akashi-san, much unlike yourself."

Oh _shit_.

Aomine and Kise were both feeling the tension now, too. Cold sweat ran down their backs, and they scooted away. Midorima and Murasakibara began edging away, too.

"I had been planning on asking you to join me, but I'm afraid I'll have to reconsider."

"Join you?" Kuroko raised a brow. How he managed to scoff without actually scoffing, nobody knew. "The mere thought is appalling, Akashi-san. I do not wish to _join_ those whom both myself and my friends view with disdain."

With that, Kuroko spun on his heel and left, leaving a _very noteworthy_ trace, for once.

Aomine gulped.

Kise paled.

Akashi turned too, hellbent on not giving the other the satisfaction of watching him leave 'till the end.

"Shintarou, Atsushi. We're leaving."

He left, but the two he called did not.

The four sat and stood in silence, unable to move a single inch.

"Holy fuck."

Too shocked to feel begrudged, Midorima, for perhaps the first time, and the rest agreed with Aomine's words.

In that moment, fire and ice had clashed. Who was fire, who was ice?

Perhaps everyone else had a very big misconception on which was which.

After all, seeing the rather ... _Hostile_ exchange just now, it was quite obvious.

Kuroko Tetsuya was fire, his blaze bright and scathing.

Akashi Seijuurou was ice, his disposition cold and chilling.

 

"...Ho - ly _fuck_."

Holy fuck indeed, Aomine, the three swallowed,

Holy fuck indeed.


	2. Chapter Two

 

**WARNINGS: NONE**

**NOTES: HAPPY SUPER LATE BIRTHDAYYYYYYYY SEIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO YOUUUU ; w ; I'M SORRY I TOOK SO LONG OH MY GOD I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOY AND LOVE THIS OKAY I gave you a glimpse of love-hate once more ;DDDD teehee** **♥**

**I'm literally so late that it's pretty much my birthday oh dear**

**I APOLOGISE ONCE AGAIN FOR TAKING SO LONG, READERS**

**also as you will be able to tell, I've swapped up the timeline a little.**

**Dedicated to: @simplyaverage7 on Tumblr!!!! HAPPY SLIGHTLY-OVER-ONE-MONTH LATE BIRTHDAY, SEIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ; w ; she’s an amazing writer and person okay if you don’t know her, she does heaps of AkaKuro fanfics and is definitely worth checking out >^<**

**Chapter Two**

~~

_Kuroko Tetsuya was fire, his blaze bright and scathing._

_Akashi Seijuurou was ice, his disposition cold and chilling._

_"...Ho - ly fuck."_

_Holy fuck indeed, Aomine, the three swallowed,_

_Holy fuck indeed._

~~

"Atsushi," Akashi said, mobile cradled between his right shoulder and ear. He got a drawn-out, evidently bored _"Aka-chiiiiiiiiiiiin"_ in response.

"What is it?"

"I'm huuuungry. Mido-chin texted saying he was in front of the library and that we should have a study meet. I think he's just lonely, though~"

"Yes, I also received that text. I was planning on heading out just now."

"Eeehhh? You're going?"

"Atsushi."

"Okay..."

Murasakibara sounded so utterly despondent through the phone that Akashi had to bite back a smile.

_'A giant, spoiled child as usual.'_

"I'll see you there in fifteen minutes."

"Okaaaay..."

* * *

Exactly fourteen minutes and thirty-two seconds later, Murasakibara came stumbling out of a nearby bush. Akashi raised a brow, whilst Midorima's hand decided to attach itself to his own face.

"What, Mido-chin?"

"You have leaves all over yourself. Clean up."

"Ehh? I don't want to..." Murasakibara grumbled.

Akashi glanced at him.

"...Okay, if Aka-chin says so."

_'Akashi didn't say anything...'_

Murasakibara began shaking himself, very much akin to a dog. There was a whir of leaves, and then it was all gone...

...onto a smaller child that just happened to be standing behind him--

\--wait, child?

Akashi tilted his head sideways, attempting to peer behind the giant male. Midorima's eyes widened at the sight of unruly, sky-blue locks that popped out of the mass of leaves that had just been deposited upon the male's head.

Sky-blue locks.

_Sky-blue?_

There was no mistaking it.

"I'd appreciate it if you refrained from doing such things in public areas," Kuroko said softly. Murasakibara let out a sharp sound akin to a dying pig as he jolted forward. Akashi looked on with amusement, quickly ridding himself of the emotion as he remembered the pale teen's words prior to the holidays.

"I must say, you look much better when I can't see you properly." Akashi said flatly. Kuroko turned on him, eyes flashing for the briefest of moments. It was a lie, of course, and the moment the latter's azure blue orbs had landed on the redhead, he felt a shiver of _something_ run down his spine.

"The same goes for you, Akashi-san. You look much more appealing obscured by green foliage. I'm glad that spring came on time," Kuroko replied with an equal lack of emotion. As easily as he'd appeared, he made to leave, emerald falling softly to the ground.

With their eyes locked on the flora dropping smoothly one-by-one, all it took was a mere second.

When they looked up during the next, he was gone.

* * *

"Kurokocchi! What happened to you on the way?! You have a leaf stuck in your hair!"

"Kise-kun, not so loud."

"We're in one of the private rooms, it's fine, it's fine!"

"Tetsu, what happened?" Aomine leaned forward.

"Murasakibara-san decided to shake all the leaves that were collecting on him onto me."

"What?!" Kise gasped. Aomine, however, burst into laughter. Kuroko cocked his head to the side lightly in confusion.

"Oh my god, please tell me you-- HAHAHA-- got a picture," The dark blue-haired male wheezed out, tears forming in his eyes.

"Why?"

"He would've been a literal _tree,_ " Aomine choked.

Kise let out a strangled noise.

Kuroko's cheeks puffed with laughter.

"A-Aomine-kun--"

"Aominecchi, you--"

It was a while before they could calm down, with the non-stop mental images provided by the tanned teen.

* * *

"Aka-chin, Aka-chin~"

Akashi looked up without ceasing his pen-spinning.

"What do you think of the chibi?"

Akashi's grip on the pen tightened.

Midorima promptly broke out into a cold sweat.

"He's nothing special," The redhead bit out, "just like Ryouta and Daiki. A waste of talent."

"I see~" Murasakibara drawled, plopping his head onto the desk. Akashi sighed.

"Sit properly, Murasakibara." Midorima chided.

"Eh..." The taller male groaned, "Don't wanna."

"We're studying right now," Midorima furrowed his brows, "unless you're saying that you've already got all of this down?"

Murasakibara grumbled something under his breath, but relented once Akashi began eyeing him.

"Fine... Aka-chin, are you studying?"

"No, these are files I have to look over for the student council. Today is the deadline, so in terms of priority, this is more important than studying for the exams."

"You're very busy as usual," Midorima interjected, with barely concealed awe.

"Sounds tough~ Student council, vice-captain and ... You're doing lots of other stuff too, right?"

"It's true that I may be busier than the average student," He agreed.

"Then... How do you find time to study?" Murasakibara tilted his head, frowning. Was there some kind of Akashi-exclusive trick, as usual?

"I do it efficiently within minimal time."

"Ehh? What's that? How do you do it?"

"Murasakibara, don't rely on Akashi's studying method. It's much too unique."

"That's not true. It's rather common -- a technique that anybody can utilise."

Midorima stared indignantly at the redhead, who casually ignored him.

"Aka-chiiin, teach me."

"It's easy -- go over it once and you'll understand."

"What?"

"If you study it over and over, it takes time. If you remember it the first time, you can reduce the time it takes to study."

"Heeeh..." Murasakibara stared at him with wide eyes.

"Read through the textbook as a supplement. Things that are not listed will not appear on the test."

"Hmm~..."

"That's why I told you -- Akashi's method is special..."

"You say that, but Midorima can do it too, no?" Akashi raised a brow.

"Do not overestimate me. I cannot learn it a hundred percent in one go -- I can manage eighty percent at most."

"It's just like you to not cut off the remaining twenty percent."

"That's what it means to do everything possible," Midorima harrumphed, pushing his glasses up proudly as he repeated his motto.

"Hmm... Okay, I'll do that."

"What?!"

"I didn't think about remembering it all in one go. I'll try that," The giant rumbled lazily, doodling on his paper.

"Murasakibara... Certainly, being earnest with your studies is desirable, but it's not something that can be easily accomplished. You're remembering _everything at once_."

"True, I can't be perfect like Aka-chin, but I think I can manage half. If I remember that much, I should clear the requirements, right?"

"...Were you not aiming for a full score since the beginning?"

"If I could do that, I'd be number one~" Murasakibara drawled. Midorima sighed exasperatedly.

"Guys like you are..."

"--Crazy, but thanks for the study tips," A voice sang from the doorway, which had apparently been opened for some time now. Midorima and Murasakibara shot around in their seats, nearly falling off in the process. Aomine was leaning against the frame, grinning wildly.

"Oi--"

"See ya'~"

Thus, he turned and left, door slamming closed uncouthly behind him. Midorima tutted in distaste, turning to Akashi, "Did you know he was there?"

"Yes, he entered some time around when Atsushi first began complaining."

"Then--"

"It doesn't matter," Their leader dismissed, "there's no way he'll be able to utilise such techniques."

"Right~" Murasakibara agreed, "Aomine is too stupid."

* * *

Suppressing the urge to run, Kuroko walked _very_ quickly.

Very.

_Very._

Quickly.

He was not running.

He was not running, he mentally repeated as he expertly weaved through the crowd of small children linking with and losing their parents' hands. He was most definitely _not_ running in a place that consisted of people he could accidentally step on.

He was a safe person.

A careful person.

With great mental fortitude, he continued on--

\--until a tiny, _tiny why was he so tiny is this a malformity_ probably-three-or-four-year-old-boy splat down on the ground before him.

With great mental fortitude--

 _'Screw it,'_ Kuroko decided, crouching down to help the child up.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently.

...To no avail, as the boy burst into tears. Metaphorically skimming through a list of what to do, Kuroko pulled out a coin.

"Here I have a hundred yen coin," He announced, catching the child's attention. Wide, watery eyes stared at him intensely. "I'm going to put it in this hand... And make it disappear."

Opening his palm, the money was gone, and the small being gasped in surprise.

"Wow!"

"Hmm, where did it go...? Oh!" Kuroko feigned shock, reaching over to put hand in the boy's hoodie, "And here it is." He pulled back, coin between his fingers. His eyes softened at the joy that visibly lit up the child's entire body.

"I'll give it to you," The magician smiled. The boy beamed, about to thank him -- before he was cut off by a frantic yell of his name. He turned, shouting for his mother briefly, then turned back to speak--

\--only to be met with nothing. Confused, he looked around for his saviour's familiar attire and beautifully unique appearance, but he was gone.

Instead of getting upset, the child breathed in a mixture of awe and respect.

"Awesome..."

* * *

Still on a mission, Kuroko continued his max-speed walk towards their resident Maji Burger, hands reaching into his pockets swiftly. He opened the door, slipping in, smoothly making his way over to the counter without a sound.

"Excuse me."

The cashier shrieked.

Kuroko held out a slip of white with just the smallest glitter of anticipation evident in his eyes.

"Ah... T-the, uh, two-for-one milkshake special, right? What flavour would you like?"

"Vanilla," He answered without a single millisecond of hesitation. "For both."

"Understood. Please wait for a moment."

Finally relaxing, he didn't realise how tense his shoulders had been until he let them fall.

...Only to be interrupted by a whistle of mock-admiration from behind. Somehow, before he'd turned, the short boy had a sinking feeling he knew _exactly_ who was standing behind him, unable to mind their own business, evidently.

"What do you want," He turned, belatedly thinking that playing sinister, foreboding music as he faced the male would've been a good idea (with slow-motion movements preferably, too).

Akashi Seijuurou.

Why was he _everywhere_?

Did this happen because they despised each other? Was that it????

As Kuroko inwardly cursed his fate, Akashi flashed him a cocky smirk.

"That was an impressive speed you took coming here."

"Thanks," Kuroko deadpanned. "What are you doing here?"

"Meeting Shintarou and Atsushi." Akashi grimaced slightly, "Honestly, the food served here is so distasteful."

As the other boy was about to formulate a counter-attack, brows furrowing, he heard the cashier speak once more.

"Your order, sir."

Perking up, his eyes immediately began sparkling with excitement.

"Thank you very much," He said softly, taking the milkshakes. About to walk away, he quickly spun on his heel, as if remembering at the last moment.

"Bye, Akashi-san."

Then, he turned and left, the doorbell chiming soothingly.

"Sir? Your order?"

The redhead didn't respond, standing rooted in his place, the back of his right hand against his mouth. His cheeks were dusted a light pink.

"..."

"Sir?"

Subtly jolting out of his reverie, Akashi shook his head. "I apologise, I'm not here to order."

Walking slowly to the door, he gave the store a once-over before leaving.

_'Meeting Shintarou and Atsushi here? What a joke. As if they would meet me in such a place.'_

Making sure Kuroko wasn't somehow waiting outside, ready to catch him out on his lie, Akashi set off once more.

...Well.

He supposed going in after curiously observing the powder-blue haired male literally _fly_ in like a hurricane wasn't such a bad idea, after all.

Even if he didn't get on his nerves like he'd figured he'd end up doing, the result was...

...Alright.

 _'Alright,'_ He reiterated firmly.

Only alright.

After all, there was no way he had thought Kuroko Tetsuya was adorable, right?

Right.

And with that, the rest of the holidays ended uneventfully.

* * *

With a small number of encounters, all of which consisted of things like this:

_"Tetsuya, I see you're watching paint dry again. Have you nothing better to do in your time?"_

_"Akashi-san, I see you're being obnoxious and intrusive again. I would've thought you'd be above dawdling and wasting time when you're in such a busy position."_

_"I see you're very well aware of my position." Akashi had the same, infuriating, definitely NOT attractive -- shut up -- twisted smirk as usual. Kuroko shot him a withering look._

And this:

_"Aomine-kun, please learn this list of basic kanji over the weekend, at least."_

_"What?! Tetsu, that's too much."_

_"Indeed, for someone who couldn't tell the difference between the hiragana 'sa' and 'chi' a week ago, I do believe it's too heavy of a load," A terribly familiar -- also EXTREMELY condescending, mind him -- voice chided._

_"Akashi-san, please shut up."_

And also this:

_"Murasakibara-san."_

_"UGAH!"_

_"..."_

_Kuroko stared at the male about to topple over onto him, arms promptly shooting out to steady him._

_With a lot of trouble._

_"...Are you alright?"_

_What an angel, Murasakibara thought -- wait, what?_

_No, he took that back._

_"Murasakibara-san."_

_Large, pure, sapphire-like orbs stared up at the purple student._

_..._

_"I'm okay." He said flatly. "What did you want, Kuro-- Kuroko?"_

_"..." Kuroko didn't look like he believed him at all, but regardless, he tilted his head to the side slightly._

_"Could you please make way for me? I can't get through to my painting."_

_Wordlessly, Murasakibara moved to the side. Finding his silence somewhat off-putting, Kuroko sent him one last concerned glance before heading into the storage room._

_The giant swallowed, eyes tightly shut. He opened them just the tiniest bit, wide enough to see a blur of light blue clattering around gingerly through other paintings._

_'...Do I reaally have to take back my thoughts?'_

_After a moment of contemplation, he nodded resolutely._

_'Aka-chin won't know...'_

_Contentedly, he continued watching the smaller male rummage through supplies._

...Their first lot of midterm exams had finally finished.

Students scattered in various areas of the school sighed in mixtures of relief, exhaustion and utter gratitude.

One particular redhead stared down at his mobile, frozen.

His hands were shaking, but they did not drop the phone.

Everything felt cold.

_Cold. Cold._

_The world was so cold--_

He couldn't _breathe_ , god dammit, how did you even breathe again--?

Alone on the rooftop, his knees gave way.

His phone skidded to a stop a mere metre away from him.

It wasn't enough.

_GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT--_

He _had_ to get the thoughts out of his mind, erase what he just read--

...

_'No. No, no, no, no NO NO NO NO NO NO--'_

* * *

**> FROM FATHER**

**RECEIVED 15:04**

**> >Seijuurou. Your mother has passed away in hospital.**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
